Princess Beatrice - Biography

BIOGRAPHY

She is the third lady in the land, and being fifth in line to the throne means she is outranked only by her grandmother the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall. But far from relying on her royal status to get her through life, Princess Beatrice has proved herself a hard-working and independent young woman.

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She doesn't want to use the title Her Royal Highness, which is hers by right. And she doesn't expect anyone to curtsey to her.

"I don't want any of that. I'm just Beatrice," she says. "Maybe before they meet me people might be a bit scared, but once they find out I'm just me it should make it easier."

This down-to-earth remark is typical of Beatrice, who was born August 8, 1988, the first daughter of Sarah, Duchess of York and Prince Andrew.

Quiet and at times serious, she has never been as outgoing as her younger sister Princess Eugenie.

While Eugenie chose to spend her teenage years away from her family at Marlborough College in Wiltshire, Beatrice preferred to stay close to home at St George's, Ascot, not far from the royal residences in Windsor.

Despite suffering from dyslexia, she left school with a grade A at A-level in drama and Bs in history and film studies.

"Well I do work hard but that's only because I had a great example," said the flame-haired royal when congratulated by HELLO! on the grades. "I see my mother and father who both work so hard. My mother never stops. She is amazing."

A subtle change came over the young royal after she became a university student in 2008, reading History at Goldsmith's College in London.

Leaving her family home, Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, Beatrice moved into an apartment of her own at St James' Palace becoming more independent and living her own life, her own way, for the first time.

Her increasing maturity may also in part be down to falling in love. Since 2007 Bea's constant companion has been Dave Clark an American by birth who has lived most of his life in the UK.

He works for Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic company, and is six years older than his royal sweetheart.

But having a devoted boyfriend doesn't mean Beatrice is any less close to her mother. In terms of undertaking charity work she is very much following in the footsteps of the Duchess of York.

"I see myself as a mini-Mummy," Beatrice once famously declared. "I want to build on what Mummy is establishing and go forward into the new generation and get the word out there."

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